Wow, wow, wow! What a brilliant time we had during our Roman themed residential at the awesome Ufton Court! Bright and early on Monday morning, all of the children arrived at school with their suitcases and teddies in preparation for stepping back in time to bring our History learning to life. After some beautiful singing on the coach, all of the groups delved straight into their first activities as they were taught various
military manoeuvres as well as getting to know more about Roman beliefs and their way of life before a lovely lunch of jacket potatoes. After lunch, both groups entered a Roman courtroom where a number of
fierce debates were had as a number of individuals were accused of crimes such as stealing, disrespecting the emperor by wearing purple and even an attempted assassination! We then heard from witnesses before suitable punishments were decided. As well as this, we were able to enjoy some Roman games and activities that they would have played during leisure time. Afterwards it was time for dinner all together in the stunning barn with the highlight of that meal definitely being the sticky toffee pudding!
Tuesday was another gorgeous, sunny day with a schedule jam-packed with fun. We split into our classes and rotated around three different activities throughout the day which were all intertwined with yet more yummy food. These activities included: scavenging through the forest for twigs to make a fire, testing our hunting skills with archery and learning various knots in order to make an authentic bow and arrow. Our evening was full of singing and laughter as we took part in a Roman banquet during which the children entertained the staff with their jokes and some rather interesting performances all dressed the part in their Roman costumes.
Our final day focused on the battles between the Romans and Celts as Boudicca and her army rose up against the Romans. The children got into character as they chanted, marched and re-enacted the wins and defeats of battle. There were some rather dramatic deaths as the Celts were defeated and the Romans celebrated their victory. All of the staff and children had an absolutely fantastic time but were ready on Wednesday afternoon to return to school for some much-needed sleep! We want to take this opportunity to say how proud we are of all the children (many of whom have never stayed away from home before!) as they were resilient, confident and represented our school so well with their enthusiasm and effort – well done Year 4!
Mr Farrer, Year 4 Team Leader and 4RF Class Teacher
